A short story about how Guru Sri Subramanium, the founder of Skanda Vale multi faith monastery, was inspired to start up a hospice. After many years, we are now very close to realising Guru's dream of providing a full range of holistic care services, all under one roof. To find out more, please visit our website: http://www.skandavalehospice.org/ Or join us on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SkandaValeHospice

1. Our story so far...

2. IT ALL BEGAN IN 1987...
When the founder of
Skanda Vale Monastery
( a gentleman named Guru Sri Subramanium)
had a serious heart attack.

3. IT ALL BEGAN IN 1987...
As Guru was recovering in hospital,
he began to pay close attention to
the other patients on the ward.

4. IT ALL BEGAN IN 1987...
One of the patients was an elderly man,
in the last stages of life. But he had
no family or friends with him.

5. worked
flatout
the nurses
But they could only afford
to spend a few precious
minutes with the old man.

6. THE MAN DIED
ON HIS OWN –
LONELY & AFRAID

7. CHANGE
SOMETHING HAD TO
Guru couldn’t bear the idea of people
dying in that way. He felt strongly
inspired to start a hospice.

8. care at home...
After years of fundraising,
in 1993 we launched our first
hospice service, providing care
for the dying in their own homes.

9. bricks
mortarBy 2004, we had raised enough
to buy a property in Saron,
enabling us to offer a much
wider range of care services.
&

10. The atmosphere at the hospice is happy, warm and welcoming.
They provide a stress-free environment where you can meet and
talk to staff and fellow sufferers, in a normal home setting, at
a time when hospitals, and hospital treatment, dominates your life.
What they can give in abundance is time. Time to listen to worries
that you can't, or feel unable, to discuss with loved ones. Time to
just sit and be, without constantly being asked if you're ‘alright’.
Time to just chat about everything and nothing.
So few people and places have time these days, but the hospice
is a place where time, or the lack of it, is not an issue. Such an
important factor of care, when every second can be so precious.
MY HOSPICE DIARY
DENISE - HOSPICE USER

11. so far, so good
The hospice has been a huge
success. We’ve helped hun-
dreds of local patients,
carers and families.
BUT IT’S STILL
NOT ENOUGH

12. here’s the problem:
✦ South West Wales has a rapidly aging population.

13. here’s the problem:
✦ South West Wales has a rapidly aging population.
✦ We have the highest rate of chronic illness in the UK.

14. here’s the problem:
✦ South West Wales has a rapidly aging population.
✦ We have the highest rate of chronic illness in the UK.
✦ Our need for palliative care is 17% higher than
the UK average.

15. here’s the problem:
✦ South West Wales has a rapidly aging population.
✦ We have the highest rate of chronic illness in the UK.
✦ Our need for palliative care is 17% higher than
the UK average.
✦ There’s only one hospice bed for every 62,053 people.

16. here’s the problem:
✦ South West Wales has a rapidly aging population.
✦ We have the highest rate of chronic illness in the UK.
✦ Our need for palliative care is 17% higher than
the UK average.
✦ There’s only one hospice bed for every 62,053 people.
✦ People have to travel long distances to get help...
or struggle on alone.

17. more
we have to do
South West Wales URGENTLY needs new
hospice services, especially respite
and end of life care beds.

18. here’s a solution:

19. We’re redeveloping our hospice to offer inpatient respite and
end of life care services, that aren’t available in our region.

20. The new hospice will be
ideally located in the
centre of the three
counties. Soon, people
will be able to get the
care they need, from
much closer to home.
community
heartofthe

21. There’ll be six ensuite bedrooms, plus special accommodation
for families. We’ll offer expert nursing, therapies & advice.

22. The new building has lots of curves for a soft, embracing feel.
There’s also a huge garden with ponds, easily accessible to all.

23. This ambitious project will cost £2 million to complete,
and our building expenses will run to nearly £2500 each day!

24. The hospice will be very energy efficient. This biomass boiler
will provide all the heating – using wood from our own forest.

25. It has been quite a dramatic development...
Lots of demolition, and an enormous extension.

26. But progress has been extremely quick...
We’re planning to open in November.

27. how can i get involved?

28. We’ve got some great volunteering roles for clinical staff,
carers, shop assistants, fundraisers... come and get inspired!

29. FIND OUT MORE:
skandavalehospice.org